Maundy Thursday

On this fifth day of Holy Week, known as Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, we are mindful that this is the day we remember and commemorate the Lord’s Last Supper with His disciples, before He was crucified. We give gloriously undivided praise and singular honour to our Risen Lord and King, Jesus Christ, whose selfless Love we celebrate. We again are held subdued by His powerful humility and peace of mind. We note His all-knowing mind and full generosity of heart, to feed all present, even His enemy, His betrayer. 

Here is today’s Jesus Experience.

When evening had come, He sat with the twelve. Now as they were eating, He said, Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, Lord, is it I? He answered and said, He who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me. Matthew 26: 20 – 23.

Holy Spirit, You are truth and in You is nothing of deceitfulness nor lying. Show us that our Lord and Master is still the same, sufficient Lord and is not afraid to feed His enemies even. Grant me wisdom and truth to know who I am and where I am. Amen!

Before we move on to receive wisdom and understanding from our Teacher, Counsellor and Enabler Himself – Holy Spirit - let’s listen to what a few other Bible translations state, regarding our given text, which states this.  Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. Psalm 8: 2

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies that You may silence the enemy and the avenger NKJV.

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies, that thou mightiest still the enemy and the avenger KJV.

Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger ESV.

Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have established strength on account of your adversaries, in order to silence the enemy and vengeful foe. ISV.

With all these translations before us, what does it do to us and for us? One thing for sure is that different people translate and interpret according to their understanding, scholarship, experiences and intelligence. It shows that we who read must depend on the Spirit to lead and guide us even in this, lest we fall into the trap of choosing to suit our tastes. This is what I mean.

When I saw the different translations to this text, I found myself behaving as I would at a food fair, where same dishes have been prepared by different cultures. Take rice for example. The same rice is taken and prepared differently, so that some will be cooked with salted water, red wine, white wine, coconut milk or plain water. So many variations of the one rice are before me, I become all confused like and make it easy and simple for me, by simply choosing to suit my taste. Mind you, such is not always wise, for rice cooked in salt, what I will choose, is not good for me since I have been told to reduce my salt intake. When it comes to the Bible translations, which do we choose? I firmly believe that we need to really seek the Spirit’s guidance on which we are to accept.

Notwithstanding, in this particular experience and learning, we have been given these, not to choose from but to use as reinforcement and aids to help us see that however the verse is translated, certain facts remain unaltered and undiluted.

Be it known that praise and thanks can come quite easily from anyone who is not an infant or baby. Notwithstanding, one of the crucial lessons to be derived is this. Unless you and I become as little children, how do we expect to enter the Kingdom of Father God? Subsequently, how do we hope our Heavenly Father, through our praise, to establish a stronghold against His enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger? How can we hope to remain fixed in the Vine, feeding from His nourishing Sap? 

As we leave this precious Maundy Thursday time, of sharing at table with our Lord, may we never feed with alterable and diluted faith. May wisdom reign in us that we do not hold up our Lord’s generosity as license to believe that our lives are pleasing to God.